Better Hearing Institute Advises People with Even Mild Depression and/or Anxiety Should Get Their Hearing Checked

The Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is urging people with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety to get their hearing checked and to address any diagnosed hearing loss, the institute announced today. Research shows that hearing loss frequently co-exists with depression and/or anxiety, and that people with untreated hearing loss may be at an increased risk of depression.

Hearing loss and depression are increasing worldwide. In fact, according to the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), the current global financial crisis has led to an increased number of people developing depression. According to a BBC report, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that within 20 years depression will affect more people than any other health problem. Already, hearing loss is the third most prevalent chronic health condition facing older Americans. And as far back as 2004, more than 275 million people worldwide had moderate-to-profound hearing impairment. According to the WHO, hearing loss is the second leading cause of YLD (years lost due to disability) only after depression.

“We’ve known for a long time that depression and hearing loss often exist together, particularly in people with untreated hearing loss,” says Sergei Kochkin, PhD, Executive Director of BHI. “In fact, when left unaddressed, hearing loss can lead to isolation and other emotional conditions that can affect both qualify of life and mental health. But we also know that by treating hearing loss, the risk of associated depression and other mental health issues lessens significantly.”

Studies show that when people with mild-to-profound hearing loss use hearing aids, they experience decreased depressive symptoms, anxiety and emotional instability; significant improvements in quality of life and functional health status; and have significantly higher self-concepts compared to individuals with hearing loss who do not wear hearing aids. U.S. research shows that the use of hearing aids reduces the risk of income loss, and that those who use hearing aids are twice as likely to be employed as their peers who do not use hearing aids. Moreover, the vast majority of people with hearing loss can benefit from hearing aids.

If you have any questions about hearing loss or hearing aids contact Hidden Hearing.

 

Guide to decibel levels

NOISE levels above 105 decibels (dB) can damage your hearing if endured for more than 15 minutes each week.

But lower levels, such as between 85dB and 90dB, can also cause permanent damage if you’re exposed to them for hours every day.

Here is a guide to decibel levels:

Normal conversation: 60-65dB;

a busy street: 75-85dB;

lawn mower/ heavy traffic: 85dB;

forklift truck: 90dB;

hand drill: 98dB;

heavy lorry about seven metres away: 95-100dB;

motorbikes: 100dB;

disco/club/car horn: 110dB;

MP3 player on loud: 112dB;

rock concert/ambulance siren: 120dB.

If you have any questions about hearing loss contact Hidden Hearing.

Forms of hearing loss

A comprehensive hearing test must be done in order to determine the type and severity of hearing loss and to make the best recommendations for each person.

The different types of hearing loss are based on which parts of the ear are affected.

Conductive Hearing Loss

This is when there is reduced sound transmission in the outer or middle ear. You experience this by being less able to make out softer sounds, though you may hear your own voice at a louder intensity. Generally, the cause of conductive hearing loss can be identified and resolved, restoring complete or partial improvement in hearing. The most common causes of conductive hearing loss can include excess ear wax, a damaged ear drum, a middle ear infection, fluid in the middle ear and sclerotic middle ear bones. In some cases surgery may be required and a hearing aid may improve the volume of the sounds around you.

Sensori-neural Hearing Loss

This is when the inner ear is affected, which includes the nerve component of the hearing system that connects to the brain. Besides being less able to hear softer sounds, you may also complain that people seem to mumble or that you hear but do not understand what is being said. Common causes of sensori-neural hearing loss include excessive noise exposure, aging, diabetes, stroke, head trauma and viral infections. Most cases are irreversible, though hearing aids are often effective in improving the sound level and the clarity of the speech that you hear.

Mixed Form Hearing Loss

This is a combination of both conductive and sensori-neural hearing loss.

No matter which type of hearing loss you experience, it is important to get tested to receive the best advice of how to restore or improve your hearing.

For more information or to schedule a FREE hearing assessment, contact Hidden Hearing.

Speak up about hearing loss.

This article came from USA but relates to all countries. With Grandparents Day almost upon us (Sept. 9), it’s an apt time to examine that time-honored tradition of shouting at grandpa. That is, conducting conversations at piercing volumes to compensate for a grandparent’s hearing loss.

For many families it’s a small price to pay to avoid insulting an older family member who may be in denial or embarrassed about hearing loss. But denial often has undeniable consequences. In this case, unchecked hearing loss almost always strains intergenerational ties.

It’s hard to follow most kid’s stories and nearly impossible to do so when you have to ask that child to keep repeating herself.

With 99 million Americans over 50 enduring some level of hearing loss, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the refrain of “say again” is no joke.
In a recent ASHA survey, almost half of respondents who reported hearing loss said family gatherings were difficult because so many often spoke at once. Seventy-five percent said they felt left out because of their hearing issues.

The study also revealed a potential fix for the problem of denial. Though less than a quarter of respondents said they would initiate talks with a family member about hearing loss concerns, the majority said they would seek remedies for their hearing loss if a loved one asked it of them. Half said they would if a grandchild asked.

In an effort to prod families to talk openly about hearing loss — and remedies for it — ASHA American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has launched a public service campaign. If you have any questions about hearing loss contact Hidden Hearing.

Source washington post: To see one the ad campaigns click on the link below.

The higher risks of falling and hearing loss

Researchers at John’s Hopkins have recently published a study that links hearing loss to increased risk of falling. This information needs to be viewed from multiple perspectives. First, it adds to the list of consequential or associated issues that patients with hearing loss may suffer. Second, despite several different “risk factor” lists from several different specialty societies, this is the first time hearing loss has appeared. Third, how do we react? What do we do with this new information?

STUDY

“In the study 2,017 participants ages 40 to 69 had their hearing tested and answered questions about whether they had fallen over the past year. Researchers also collected demographic information, including age, sex and race, and tested participants’ vestibular function, a measure of how well they kept their balance. People with a 25-decibel hearing loss, classified as mild, were nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling. Every additional 10-decibels of hearing loss increased the chances of falling by 1.4 fold. This finding still held true, even when researchers accounted for other factors linked with falling, including age, sex, race, cardiovascular disease and vestibular function. Even excluding participants with moderate to severe hearing loss from the analysis didn’t change the results.”

 

 

The author of the study, Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D. supports what we thought all along: that someone with hearing loss is less aware of their surroundings, less likely to hear someone/something approaching, and thus may be startled when it/ he/ she enters their field of vision. Also, we know that the elderly don’t multi-task as well as younger people, and dealing with hearing loss gives them one more thing that they have to deal with. According to Dr. Lin “Gait and balance are things most people take for granted, but they are actually very cognitively demanding. If hearing loss imposes a cognitive load, there may be fewer cognitive resources to help with maintaining balance and gait.”

If you have any questions about hearing loss contact Hidden Hearing.

Do Ear Canal Changes Occur with Aging?

Regarding changes specific to the ear canal, as people age, studies indicate that tympanometric and acoustic characteristics of the ear canal do not change significantly. The ear canal volume does not change with age, although the volume is larger in older males than females. Cerumen impaction is more frequent in older adults compared to younger adults, with studies suggesting 25% to 65% of patients admitted to skilled nursing facilities/nursing homes over the age of 65 have impactions that may be affecting hearing and cognition.

The increased frequency of cerumen impactions may be related to ear canal hair, osteophytic or osteoma bone growth, or other factors. Therefore, in general, although the auditory and vestibular systems change over time with aging, changes within the ear canal itself are limited and reasonably minimal.

Hidden Hearing offers free hearing screenings to all. Contact Hidden Hearing for more information.

Actress Katie Leclrec shares a lot with her character

Katie Leclerc has more than one thing in common with her character on “Switched at Birth.”

Besides the fact that both suffer from different degrees of hearing loss, they also both have trouble asking others for help.

When the show returns to ABC Family Monday at 8 p.m., Leclerc’s character, Daphne, seems to be doing well on a job interview – until the woman questioning her realizes she’s deaf.

Daphne’s gone on a dozen interviews and once her hearing impairment is out, “it’s over,” as she says.

Her biological mom has connections that could help, but it’s a struggle for Daphne to actually reach out.

Leclerc has the same problem.

“I’m a terrible help asker for-er!” she laughs. “I have a lot of similarities to Daphne. I really relate to her in a lot of ways and that’s definitely one of them.”

The show revolves around two young women who were switched at birth, Daphne, and Bay (Vanessa Marano). Daphne lost her hearing as a young child from meningitis.

Leclerc, 25, has inconsistent instances of hearing loss, due to an inner ear disorder called Ménière’s disease. But she actually learned sign language at 17, before she was affected.

“I had to have a foreign language and my school offered Spanish, French and sign language,” she says. “I found out very quickly that I sucked at Spanish. I just thought I’d give it a shot.

“I never dreamed then that it would turn into the opportunity to be Daphne.”

Talking with the “deaf accent” she needed for the show was a bit more challenging. Leclerc and her sister, who’s a sign-language teacher, mapped out Daphne’s hearing loss on an audiogram to figure out what sounds she could pronounce and what sounds she couldn’t.

“Then from there, I made everybody in my life absolutely crazy, because I would have to practice the voice, Leclerc says. “I would do it nonstop, so my trouper of a boyfriend stuck it through with me and it paid off in the end.

“The most touching stuff that I get from fans on Twitter,” Leclerc says, “is stuff like, I never had a relationship with my deaf cousin. Because of the show, I’ve learned sign language and now we’re friends.”

If you have any questions about hearing loss contact hidden hearing.